Staking Her Claim
by ColieMacKenzie
Summary: "Just go for it Kate. Dive in. How many more times do you two want to almost die together before you figure it out?" A few nudges in the right direction. One-shot.


**Spoiler Warning:** Very minor references to episode 4x15, "Pandora" – only insofar as I am using the addition of Jennifer Beal's character (her name and her connection to Castle) for my purposes. I made up everything else. No spoilers for the possible story line of the episode, the case, the sneak peeks or anything like that.

_Happy Castle Monday!_

* * *

><p><strong>Staking Her Claim<strong>

She pretends to focus on her murder board but she can't stop watching him. _Them_. Castle and Sophia. Sitting together. Talking about old times. At least she assumes they're talking about old times, the times they've spent together. When Sophia was his muse. She sighs, sits back against the table behind her.

It hurt to find out that she wasn't the first woman he's shadowed, more than she'd like to admit. Hurt to realize that there are a lot of things about Castle's past she simply doesn't know. Sophia laughs happily at something Castle says, and Kate watches him, sees the smile lines appear around his eyes, bowing upward in syncopation with the corners of his mouth. He looks happy with her, relaxed, and Kate has to gulp down the knot that seems to clog her throat.

She can admit to herself that she's jealous now; it's not a new feeling even if she'd like to ignore it most of the time. But she isn't prepared for the flutters of panic that take hold of her when she realizes she may lose him to this woman with whom he has a past. A good past, from the looks of it.

His '_always' _echoes through her every day, his _'I love you'_ holds her up, moves her forward, is her lifeline some days. What if he won't wait for her? She doesn't know how she would handle that, the thought like an icy hand squeezing her insides.

"Yo, Beckett." Esposito's voice interrupts her thoughts, and she catches herself, tries to focus.

"Vic's financials came back," he hands her the folder. "Nothing out of the ordinary though."

She flips open the folder, scans the page. "Nothing popped?" She shakes her head at the oddities that won't line up in this case.

He lingers by her side, watching her from the corner of his eye. His attempt at being unobtrusive is pathetic. She knows her boys watch over her like brothers, but she tries to not keep dragging them into her personal life.

"Thanks Espo," she emphasizes the words, lifts her eyebrows at him. And he gets the message, bobs his head, backs away.

* * *

><p>Castle is in the break room, preparing cappuccinos for the ladies. He's just gotten the milk perfectly frothy when…<p>

"Yo Castle," Esposito is suddenly behind him, and next thing he knows, he whacks him across the back of the head. Hard.

"Owww," Castle yelps, rubbing the back of his head, scowling at Esposito in confusion. "What was that for?"

"What the hell are you doing?" Esposito glares at him, eyebrows knitted together and his arms crossed in front of his chest, flashing his strong biceps threateningly.

Castle looks around him, seeking help from Ryan, but the other detective has taken on an equally warning stance next to his partner.

Esposito steps closer, sizes him up. "With that woman?" He glowers, points toward the bullpen.

Oh. _Oh_. "Sophia?" Castle chuckles. "No guys, it's not what it looks like…" He defends himself, but the detectives seem unconvinced.

"Sure, that's what they all say," Ryan grumbles under his breath, while Esposito stabs a finger toward Castle's chest in warning.

"It better not be," he scowls. "Because if you hurt her, if you do this to her again, you're out of here, and this time you won't get to weasel your way back in. We'll make sure of that."

Castle knows the guys watch out for Kate, and he really appreciates that, but he's still confused what they are talking about, what he has done again. Wait…

"Again?" He questions, staring back at Esposito. The other man steps back, suddenly realizing he may have given away too much.

"What are you talking about, Esposito?" He turns the tables, questioning the detective now while advancing toward him. But Esposito is harder to crack so he switches tactics.

"Ryan?" He focuses on the younger man, staring at him earnestly, and Ryan tries to avoid his gaze.

"What did I do to her Ryan?" He probes once more, his voice pleading now. If he hurt her, he desperately needs to know.

Ryan deflates, exhales loudly. "The summer you left with your ex-wife, for the Hamptons," he admits. "Beckett wanted to come with you."

Castle's mind races back to their goodbye here at the precinct, and Gina showing up, and that look on Kate's face, and suddenly everything adds up. His heart thunders against his rib cage, his hand flying against his chest. Oh, Kate…

The two detectives chose that moment for a tactical retreat, having caused enough damage for the day.

* * *

><p>"Detective Beckett?" Sophia advances toward her. "Any new information?" She leans against the table next to Kate, looking up at their murder board.<p>

Beckett shakes her head. "All dead ends so far. Financials were a bust. I'm waiting on his phone records." They fall silent for a moment, stare at the outline of their case in front of them.

"I'm not a threat to you, Detective Beckett," Sophia states matter-of-factly, and Kate's head swivels around at the sudden change in topic.

"What?" She croaks, irritated that she can't even get her voice under control.

"Rick and I, we were never romantically involved." Sophie smiles at her sideways.

Kate thinks back over the day, their relaxed and happy smiles, their easy conversations. "Why not?"

"Let's put it this way," Sophia shakes back her hair, folds her arms across her chest. "If I could ask out anybody at this precinct, it would be you, Detective."

Kate gapes at her for a moment, surprised, but Sophia heads off any potential awkwardness. "Don't worry; I'm not asking. I know you're already taken." She smiles widely at the other woman, and Kate blushes, looks away.

"I just can't figure out what you are waiting for…" Sophia muses.

"It's…" Kate sighs, pulls her lower lip between her teeth. "…complicated."

"Isn't it always?" Sophia agrees. They remain quiet for a moment, lost in thought.

"You know he's head over heels in love with you, right?"

Kate stares at her, exhales, warm flutters taking hold of her insides. She nods.

Sophia nudges her side. "Just go for it Kate. Dive in. How much more often do you two want to almost die together before you figure it out?"

"How did you…?"

"I'm in the CIA," Sophia smiles, "I know everything."

* * *

><p>Castle can't believe it. He simply cannot believe it. How could he have missed that? So much lost time.<p>

He is still in the midst of berating himself when she storms toward him.

"Castle." She walks past him, tilts her head, eyebrows knitted, and he falls in step next to her, following her fast pace down the hallway.

She grabs the sleeve of his shirt, pulls him into the nearest interrogation room, and locks the door behind them.

"Beckett?" He questions, and she turns in his direction, eyes gleaming. He feels a bit intimidated, standing in the middle of an interrogation room, where she undeniably has home court advantage.

She advances toward him, her steps slow, measured.

Confident.

He doesn't know what's going on, what did the boys tell her? Is she upset about Sophia? Or does she know what he now knows? She looks predatory and he takes a step backward, bumps his butt against the interrogation table when she crowds against his front.

He feels like he heats up by about a hundred degrees with her body so close to his. He has trouble breathing, thinking.

"I didn't know," he starts babbling, "Beckett, I prom…" She presses her fingers against his lips, trapping his words.

"Stop," she comes closer still, slides a leg between his. Pushes her other hand against his shoulder, leaning closer.

"Talking," she whispers close to his face, then drops her fingers off his lips.

Her mouth is on him instantly, her lips sliding wetly against his. Hot and fast, she sinks against him, slides her tongue forward to outline his lips, then pushes inside. He meets her, lets her explore, delicious fiery suction, and she moans in the back of her throat, the sound vibrating right through him.

"Mine," she hums against his lips, "you're mine now," feeling him warm and wet within her mouth, and he growls urgently, his other hand in her hair, angling her head differently. He grabs her waist, pulls her forward, and she pushes against him until he sits on the table and she practically climbs on top, straddling him right there on the interrogation table in the middle of the precinct.

"Kate, Kate…" he murmurs her name into her mouth, one hand against the underside of her thigh, pulling her tighter against him, and she tastes the words with every stroke, feeling his hot strong body against her curves. She sinks against him, sizzling strokes of his tongue against hers, and heat rushes through her, fiery tempestuous sparks. She whimpers, digs her fingernails into the skin of his neck.

His slight wince brings her back to reality, and she pulls away, stares at him. His chest rises and falls in a fast rhythm and she is shocked, no _amazed_, at how fast and hot they burned. Carefully, she slides off him, puts her feet back on steady ground.

He brings his hands around, rests one on each side of her face.

"Why Detective Beckett…," he smiles at her teasingly. "I think you just claimed me."

"And don't you forget it!" She growls, grabbing a fistful of his shirt. She pulls him up off the table, and tries to walk out of the room, pulling him behind her.

He wraps his arms around her from behind, his hands flat on her stomach as he pulls her backwards against his chest.

"Oh believe me, I won't forget that," he whispers against the soft skin of her neck. She shudders, goose bumps traveling across her skin. Turning her head slightly, she looks at him with a teasing smile, arches an eyebrow invitingly.

"Can you _not_ forget that when we get to your place?"

_End of Scene_


End file.
